Realisations
by AndreeaRaducan
Summary: By chance, Sue discovers that Jake maybe isn't as bad as he seems.


**A/N: My first fic for a new fandom! Exciting times!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Outnumbered or any of its characters and affiliates.**

* * *

_Riiing!_

"Can someone grab the phone please?" Sue Brockman yelled over her youngest son's pointless ramblings. "Ben, can you grab the phone?"

Ben ignored his mother's request, continuing to gab on about something to do with the universe and Spartacus; Sue honestly had no idea. She'd stopped listening about fifteen minutes earlier.

The phone suddenly quieted, indicating that Pete had picked it up in the other room.

"And then, if all the gas in the universe suddenly-"

"Ben! For god's sake, please stop. Please," Sue cut over him, holding her hand up. Ben never missed a beat, walking around the counter as he kept talking.

"Sue," Pete called as he entered the room. "It's the hospital. Apparently Jake and Abby were in an accident"

Sue's eyes widened. "What?! Are they ok? Is Jake alright?"

Pete held up his hands. "It's ok, it's not serious. Jake's been checked over, we just need to go and get him"

"Well, one of us has to stay here. We can't leave Ben and Karen on their own," Sue said immediately.

They fell into a silence, neither of them really sure what to do.

"Look, you stay here. I'll go get Jake," Sue said after a few moments. "If he only needs collecting, it's not serious"

"Sometimes they say that so you don't panic on the way over," Pete pointed out.

Sue shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine. If he's not, I'll call you"

Realising he couldn't exactly protest, Pete nodded, plucking the car keys from the fruit bowl and placing them in Sue's hand.

"Ring and let us know that he's ok, won't you?" he asked, getting a confirmative nod from Sue. As she grabbed her jacket and bag from the counter, he gave her one quick peck on the lips, before turning and watching as she headed for the front door.

* * *

Approaching the reception desk in Casualty, Sue locked her attention onto the clerk.

"Hi, I'm Sue Brockman. My son, Jake, was brought in after an accident?"

Nodding at Sue, the woman turned to her computer, tapping away at it for a moment before turning back to Sue.

"Jake is just waiting to be discharged. His consultant will be with you in a moment, if you could just take a seat over there," she replied, pointing towards the nearby banks of chairs.

"Oh...ok," Sue said quietly, breathing a silent sigh of relief. Waiting to be discharged meant no serious injuries. After what Pete had said before she left, she had honestly been quite worried. Now, she could relax.

* * *

Sue had sat in the chairs for close to half an hour, watching the comings and goings of the emergency department, before an older doctor approached her, clipboard in hand.

"Jake Brockman?"

Rising to her feet, Sue nodded. "Yes, that's my son"

"I'm Dr Marshall, I'm in charge of your son's care. Please come with me," he said, beckoning for her to come with as he stepped back out into the main hallway.

"As you know, Jake was in a minor car accident. He was awake and alert when he was brought in, and he presented with no serious injuries. He has a rather nasty bump on his head and a sprained wrist, but he shows no evidence of a concussion, which is very good"

Sue let a small smile cross her face. "So he really is ok then"

Marshall smiled reassuringly. "Jake is fine. He's certainly stubborn though. He was brought in with a young lady, Abigail?"

Sue nodded knowingly. "They're...she's…," she started, finding herself at a loss for words. "I actually don't know the nature of their relationship, my son...he has a bit of a tendency to jump from girl to girl"

Marshall chuckled. "Well, he insisted on staying with Abigail after he was checked over, since she's been admitted. He's in her room now"

Sue raised her eyebrows. "He did?"

"He did. If you would like to go and see Jake, Abigail is in the room at the end of the hall on the right. I'm going to go and get Jake's discharge papers since I just need your signature," Marshall replied.

Sue nodded, giving the doctor a smile of thanks as he turned in the direction of the main desk.

Continuing on down the hall, Sue easily found the last door on the right, which stood open all the way.

Stopping outside the door, Sue was surprised at the sight that awaited her in the room.

She had expected to find Jake sitting beside Abby's bed texting as he waited for his mother. Instead, he was resting on the edge of the mattress, his head lying on his folded arms.

Sue watched on, touched, as Abby stirred from her rest, groggily lifting her hand to run it through Jake's hair.

"Jake...," she whispered, alerting Jake to her change of state.

Lifting his head, Jake smiled, slipping his hand into Abby's outstretched one.

"How you doing?" Sue heard Jake say quietly.

Abby smiled dreamily, squeezing Jake's hand. "Better"

Pulling himself to his feet, Jake leaned down, pressing a light kiss to Abby's forehead as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Sue's hand immediately went over her heart. This couldn't be her son. Despite her love for eldest child, her son was, as Karen had put it, a sleazebag. Yet here he was, apparently displaying very real feelings for the young girl in the bed.

Jake whispered something to Abby and then turned to leave the room. Upon noticing his mother in the doorway, he stopped.

"Mum? How long have you been standing there?" he asked immediately.

Sue smiled. "Long enough. Are you ok? You had your dad and I quite worried"

Jake shrugged, moving closer to his mother. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just banged my head," he replied, pointing to the rather large bump on his left temple with his injured hand. "Abby's parents are on their way"

"You ok, Abby?" Sue called softly over Jake's shoulder.

"Fine, thanks Mrs Brockman," Abby replied sleepily.

"Uh, Mum?" Jake cut in quietly.

Looking at her son, Sue nodded for him to go on.

"Would we...be able to stay until Abby's parents come? I...don't really want to leave her alone, you know?" Jake asked.

Sue had to smile. "Of course"

Jake broke into a grin. "Great"

"Ah, here we are," came the voice of Dr Marshall as he entered the room behind Sue. "I just need a signature from you, Mrs Brockman, and Jake is free to go. He just needs to ice both his head and his wrist, and keep his wrist elevated. And Jake, you need to have that wrist looked at again in a week's time"

Sue and Jake both nodded in understanding. Taking the doctor's pen from his hand, Sue signed off on the papers, handing them back to Dr Marshall once she was done.

"Jake wants to stay here until Abby's parents arrive, is that alright?" she asked.

"I don't see a problem with that, as long as that's alright with Abigail," Marshall replied.

Sue smiled, shaking the doctor's hand in thanks as Jake headed back to Abby's bedside, taking up the position he had previously vacated.

Leaning against the wall beside the door, Sue watched on as Jake talked quietly to Abby, eliciting laughter out of her every now and then. Abby would occasionally reach up to push Jake's hair out of his face, her eyes never leaving his.

She hoped he really had grown up as much as he appeared to. It gave her great peace of mind to know that her son _was _capable of love and respect towards girls.

Maybe her kids would turn out just fine.


End file.
